Should end of course exam results count in a student's final grade?

Florida high schools are in the process of moving away from the FCAT toward a system based on end-of-course exams. Students will have to pass the exams, which already are being offered in a handful of courses such as algebra and biology, in order to earn graduation credit.

The exam results also will count as 30 percent of the student's course grade. But is that the right idea?

Some conservative leaders of the Texas state board of education are having second thoughts. The Dallas Morning News reports that the Texas board is asking lawmakers there to eliminate the requirement that their EOC's count for 15 percent of a student's course grade. They contend that having the test count toward graduation is enough.

“The argument has been that students won’t have enough skin in the game if the tests don’t count toward the final grade, but I believe they will still take the tests very seriously,” board member Thomas Ratliff said.

Texas is the state where the petitions to reduce the stakes of state testing began. Florida picked up on that idea, which eventually even tinged Gov. Rick Scott's way of thinking to a certain degree. Should Florida push for this Lone Star State concept as well?

About the blog

Gradebook features education articles and insights on schools in Florida, focusing on Tampa Bay area schools. What's the latest from the Florida Department of Education? How is the FCAT being used to compare Florida schools? What's going on in Tampa Bay schools? Get an insider's view from the Times education reporting team.